Men Grooming - Handsome Spends

Male-grooming is more than a finger comb and a razor now. Brands are selling innovative products with woke marketing lines, and making much money

- Shruti Venkatesh

It was a bold move that Kolkata-based Emami Group made in June 2005. The conglomerate, known for its brands such as BoroPlus antiseptic cream and Navratna hair oil, decided to venture into a category that was al-most was non-existent in India – fairness cream for men – with Fair and Handsome.

“We had identified the potential of the men’s grooming space around 2004, when a study (conducted by situations advertising and market research firm AC Nielsen) revealed that 30% of fairness cream consumers were men. When we delved deeper, we uncovered a latent desire among men to look good. But, there were no offerings designed specifically for men’s skin, and they ended up using women’s products. So we launched Fair and Handsome in Andhra Pradesh in June (It was rolled out pan India in October),” says Mohan Goenka, director, Emami.

Goenka’s observation was validated when, in the very first year, sales of Fair and Handsome crossed about 500 million. Buoyed by its success, the brand roped in Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador in 2007, which led to sales touching 1 billion by FY09. Today, the brand has emerged as one of the power brands of Emami and enjoys a 63.7% market share in the category. Fair and Handsome contributed 9% of Emami’s total FY18 revenue of 25.40 billion, which is about 2.30 billion.

Goenka adds that the strong start on Fair and Handsome led them to explore the men’s grooming space further. “We saw newer gaps opening up in face washes and deodorants, and the emergence of a consumer segment purchasing online,” he adds.